Manual recorder.



2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

Invenior PATENTED JUNE 20, 1905.

J. P. GLEAL.

MANUAL RECORDER.

u mou'mn FILED JULY 24, 1895.

WITNESSES PATENTED JUNE 20, 1905.

J. P. GLEAL.

MANUAL RECORDER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 24,1895.

SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES Patented June 20, 1905.

PATENT OEEIcE.

JOSEPH P. CIJEAL, OF DAYTON, OHIO, ASSIG-N OR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS,

TO NATIONAL CASH REGISTER COMPANY, OF JERSEY CITY, NEIV JER- SEY, A CORPORATION OF NEI/V JERSEY.

MANUAL RECORDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 792,696, dated June 20, 1905.

Application filed July 24, 1895. Serial No. 557,001.

To (LZZ whom, it vii/my concern:

Be it known that I, JosErIr P. CLEAL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Dayton, in the county of Montgomery and State of Ohio,

have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Manual Recorders, of which the following is a description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

My invention relates to that class of manual recorders in which is employed a series of independent paper strips led from supply-rolls across a suitable writing-tablet and wound upon storage-rolls and adapted to have vari- 5 ous memoranda written upon them in their passage across the writing-tablet. There is employed in connection with the several paper strips a series of operating handles or keys, one for each strip, by the operation of any one or another of which the corresponding strip is advanced independently of the other strips, so that any memoranda written upon it at the writing-point will be advanced from said point toward the storage-roll of the strip 5 and a fresh unused portion of the strip be brought to the writing-point for the entry of further memoranda. In connection with the paper strips and the keys for so operating them there is employed a money-drawer nor- 3 mally held in closed position, preferably against the stress of a spring tending to throw it open, by means of a suitable latch or locking device so connected with all of the keys that the operation of any one or another of 3 5 them to advance its paper strip in the manner above described will release the drawer and permit the spring to automatically throw it open. The several strips are generally assigned to the several clerks in the establish- 4 ment, each clerk entering upon his own particular strip all the sales or other transactions which he makes and of which a record is to be kept, so that at the end of a days business or at other stated intervals the proprietor may by examining the several strips ascertain the business done by each clerk. In some establishments instead of assigning the several strips and keys to different clerks they may be assigned to separate departments of the establishment, the sales of goods from one 5 department being entered upon one strip, those from another upon a second strip, and so on, or the several strips may be assigned to different classes of transactions, such as cash sales, credit sales, money received on aecount, and so on. In either case the general mode of operation of the machine is substantially the same, and in the present instance the description will assume that the several strips are assigned to different clerks. In addition to the several similar strips assigned to the several clerks there is in the present instance a special strip, preferably made considerably wider than the other strips, which may be termed the proprietors strip, and 5 upon which may be entered all special transactions which it may be proper or desirable to keep a separate record of. The several keys corresponding to the several strips, including the special or proprietors strip, are 7 preferably provided with finger-buttons bearing numbers, letters, or characters properly distinguishing them and their cooperating strips. The general mode of operation consists in entering the desired memoranda upon 7 a the paper strip and then operating the key corres 'ionding to such strip to advance the latter and carry the written memoranda away from the writing-point and open the moneydrawer. 0

Having now described in a general way the character and mode of operation of the machine in which my invention is embodied, I will proceed to a more particular description of such machine and the improvements eona stituting my present invention, it being understood that machines of this general nature and intended for the same general purpose are old and not of my invention.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is 9 a perspective view of the complete machine. Fig. 2 is a front view thereof at an angle of about forty-five degrees, with the lid removed, exposing part ofthe interior mechanism; Fig. 3, a vertical section approximately on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4, a sectional detail through the writing-tablet and parts adjacent thereto; Fig. 5, an enlarged detail View illustrating the devices for locking the operated key in displaced position and preventing the operation of any of the keys while the money-drawer remains open; Fig. 6, a detail of one of the storage-spools for the paper strips; and Fig. 7 a sectional detail of the key locking devices, illustrating the means for preventing simultaneous operation of two or more keys.

The same letters of reference are used to indicate identical parts in all the figures.

The working parts of the machine are in closed within. a suitable casing A, having at its front side a hinged lid, preferably composed of two parts, an inclined portion B, hinged at its upper corners at a, and a horizontal portion C, hinged near its forward edge to the upper edge of the front wall of the casing A at 6, Figs. 1 and 3. The lower edge of the inclined portion B of the lid is suitably shaped to overlap and form a closed joint with the rear edge of the horizontal portion 0,

' while a lock D, carried by the portion B, serves to lock both of them in closed position.

The horizontal portion 0 of the lid is provided with a transverse rectangular opening E, beneath which are led the paper recordstrips hereinafter described. Secured to the under side of the lid beneath the opening E is a glass plate F, which closes the opening with the exception of a narrow transverse slot at the front side of the opening between the front edge of the glass plate and the front wall of the opening, this transverse slot permitting the entry of memoranda upon the paper strips beneath, as hereinafter described.

Arranged beneath the opening E is the writing-tablet, consisting of a horizontal plate G, Figs. 2, 3, and 4, hinged at its opposite ends near its rear edge at 0 to the upright plates of aframe H, resting upon the horizontal division-plate I of the casing, which separates the upper part of the casing containmg the mechanlsm of the machine from the compartment in-the base of the machine which contains the money-drawer J. At its forward edge the plate Gr rests upon studs projecting from the side plates of the frame H, Fig. 4, so that when the lid of the casing is opened and the portion C thrown upward and forward the plate G is free to be swung upward and rearward.

Mounted upon a horizontal shaft K, supported in the frame H, are the spools or reels of the supply-rolls L of the paper strips \4, the rolls being free to turn upon the shaft K. From the supply-rolls the strips are led forward and upward over the front edge of the plate and thence rearward across the upper side of said plate beneath the opening E 5 in the lid of the casing, the strips being spaced and, held in proper position upon the plate G by lugs 0Z, projecting upwardly from the front and rear edges of the plate, Figs. 2 and 4. In the present instance the plate G is shown provided with a raised surface along its front edge to support the strips immediately beneath the portion of the opening E in front of the glass plate F to permit the memoranda to be readily entered upon the paper strips as they pass over the plate G. From the plate G the strips are led rearward beneath a transverse guide-rod N and thence upward and around the storage-spools O, which latter are loosely mounted upon a transverse shaft P, supported at its opposite ends in the frame H, heretofore referred to. The spools 0 have secured upon their sides ratchets Q, Fig. 3, with which cooperate pawls R, pivoted to and carried by the operating-keys, the latter consisting of curved levers S, fulcrumed upon a transverse shaft T, supported in the frame H and terminating at their lower ends in rearwardly-extending arms U, hereinafter explained.

From the foregoing description it will be understood that whenever the upper end of a key-lever S is pulled forward its pawl R will turn the spool O with whose ratchet such pawl cooperates and draw rearward a portion of the corresponding record-strip, unwinding a portion of said strip from the supply-roll L and winding a corresponding portion upon the storage-roll O, at the same time carrying any memoranda upon said strip at the writing-point away from said point and bringing it beneath the glass plate F, where it remains exposed to view until the strip is still further moved, but cannot be altered or erased, and serves to indicate the last transaction entered upon said strip. Holding-pawls V, cooperating with the ratchets R, prevent backward movement of the storage-spools 0. Under the construction shown in Figs. 2 and 3 the pawls V are provided with forwardly-extending fingers W, whose front ends are readily accessible when the lid of the casing is opened and the portion B thrown upward to vertical or rearward position and by depressing which the pawls may be disconnected from the ratchets. By means of intermediate levers X, pivoted to fixed plates X secured to and de-- pending from the top cross-plate X of the frame H, the pawls V when disengaged from the ratchets Q operate to also disengage the pawls R from said ratchets, so that upon depressing the finger W of any pawl V both pawls will be disengaged from the ratchet and the spool 0 be free to turn backward and permit the strip stored upon it to be unwound therefrom.

At the end of a days business or at other stated time when the proprietor desires to inspect the machine and take the record of transactions therefrom he will unlock the lid and throw the portion B backward and rearward and the portion C upward and forward, then lift the front edge of the plate G to relieve the tension upon the strips, sever them in frontof said plate, and then unwind the portions of the strips which have been wound upon the spools O, removing such portions of the strip from the machine and taking them with him to add up the amounts and inspect the mcmoranda entered thereon at his convenience. He will draw forward the ends of the strips from the rolls Land lead them over the plate ('r and rearward beneath the guide N and fasten them to the respective spools O and then close and lock the lid and leave the machine ready for further operations.

To preserve a proper tension upon the strips, I employ in the present instance a series of friction springs or lingers Y, secured to the under side of the portion C of the lid immediately in front of the openingEand bearing upon the strips as they pass over the front edge of the plate G and pressing them against said plate, Fig. 4t.

To avoid the necessity of disengaging the pawls from the ratehets of the storage-spools O preparatory to unwinding the strips therefrom, the modilied form of spool or roll shown in Fig. 6 maybe employed. Under that construction the roll consists of a central hub portion Zand an annular portion Z surrounding and snugly litting and free to turn upon the portion Z. A latch A, pivoted to the portion Z and cooperating with a slot in the latter and with notches B in the hub portion Z in the manner apparent from the drawings, is employed to couple the parts Zand Z together and cause them to turn in unison. The ratchet Q, of the roll is fast upon the lefthand side of the hub Z, and when the parts are coupled together by the latch the operation of the pawl R upon the ratchet will turn the parts Z and Z together. Upon uncoupling them, however, by lifting the latch until it is disengaged from the notches B in the part Z it will be understood that the part Z may be readily turned in a backward direction upon the part Z, the latter being held stationary by the pawls engaging its ratchet. The end of the paper strip is attached to the roll by being passed beneath the cross-bar of the latch and pressed by it into the slot in the part Z, and the strip is then wound around said part by the turning of the roll. The cross-bar of the latch is sufiiciently narrow and the slot in the part Z sufliciently deep to permit the latch to be raised far enough to disengage it from the notches B, even when a quantity of strip is wound upon the roll, so that the parts Z and Z may be readily uncoupled to permit the part Z to turn upon the part Z and the strip to be unwound.

Even where means is employed for disengaging the pawls from the ratchets, as in Fig. 3, and the roll is made of one solid piece, a device similar to the latch A may be conveniently employed simply for the purpose of attaching the end of the strip to the roll. If desired, rolls such as that shown in Fig. 6 may in some cases be employed even in connection with the pawl-disengaging devices of Fig. 3.

The money-drawer J is held in its closed position by the engagement of a bolt U with a notch or perforation in a plate D, secured to the rear end of the drawer, Fig. 3, said bolt being carried by the rear end of a lever E, pivoted at F to a suitable support and yieldingly held in normal locking position by a coiled spring G beneath its front end,whieh latter is turned upward for a purpose presently explained. Hung upon the fulcrum shaft T of the key-levers is a pivoted frame ll, Figs. 2 and 3, composed of two side arms at opposite sides of the series of key-levers and two transverse rods or cross-bars connecting the front and rear ends of the respective side arms. The rear one of these transverse rods overlies the rearwardly-projecting arms U of the key-levers, so that whenever the upper end of any key-lever is pulled forward the frame H will be rocked and its forward transverse rod thrown downward. Said forward rod has secured to or formed integral with it a forwardly-projecting arm I, carrying a set-screw J, whose lower end is adapted to cooperate with the upturned front end of the lever E, heretofore described. henever the upper end of one of the key-levers is pulled forward to its limit of movement and the frame H thereby rocked the screw J will contact with and depress the front end of the lever E, and thereby lift the lockingplate C out of engagement with the plate D upon the drawer, releasing the latter and permitting the coiled spring K behind it to throw it open. In this manner whenever any one of the keys is operated to advance the corresponding paper strip the drawer is unlocked and automatically opened.

For the purpose of locking all of the unoperated keys while the operated one remains out of normal position there is provided a swinging locking-bar L, Fig. 7, and shown in cross-section in Fig. 3, hung at its opposite ends by ears M upon a shaft N, in rear of the rear ends of the arms U of the keylevers. This locking-bar is provided with a longitudinal bore, and the forward side of the bar has a longitudinal slot cut through it from its outer surface to said bore. When any one of the key-levers is operated, the rear end of its arm U in rising engages the slot in the locking-bar L and lifts the latter, the end of the arm U entering the slot as the bar rises and the forward surface of the latter below its slot moving immediately over the rear ends of the arms U of all the key-levers which remain at rest, and thereby locking them from movement. In this manner after any key-lever is depressed from normal position no other one can be operated until such displaced key-lever is returned to normal position, and to prevent returning of the displaced key-lever to normal position until it has been given a full stroke the locking-bar L is provided at one end with a pendent arm or plate L Figs. 3 and 5, to which is pivoted a pawl O, yieldingly held in vertical position by a spring P and cooperating at its lower end with a fixed rack Q. As the bar L and arm L swing forward the lower end of the pawl P slips freely over the teeth of the rack, and when it has cleared the forward end of the rack it will likewise slip over the teeth thereof in its backward movement, but it cannot move backward without having been moved forward far enough to clear the rack and permit it to tilt to proper position for free backward movement, so that after any key is started and the bar L thereby swung forward until the pawl P engages the rack no backward movement of the key-lever and bar is permitted until the key has been given a complete stroke.

For the further purpose of preventing simultaneous operation of two or more keys the locking-bar L has fitted in its bore and slot a series of sliding locking-blocks R,

7 Figs. 3 and 7 ,'slightly wider than the space between two adjacent keys, havingbeveled corners and yieldingly held in normal position by a coiled spring S, held in place by a plate T, secured to the right-hand end of the bar. When any single key is operated, the rear end of its arm U will wedge apart the two adjacent blocks R and pass between them, but if it be attempted to operate any two keys at the same time they will become locked upon the intermediate block or blocks, as will be readily understood.

For the purpose of locking the operated key in displaced position and also holding the unoperated keys from movement so long as the money-drawer remains open the following devices are provided: Arranged to slide backwardly and forwardly in suitable guides upon the division-plate I of the easing is a long narrow plate A Fig. 3, whose rear end is curved downwardly into position to abut against the rear end of the moneydrawer J. The plate A has formed upon it a vertically-extending arm B whose upper end projects forward at right angles to its vertical portion and is provided with a slot embracing the shaft N, heretofore described. The front end of this arm B is cut away to form a shoulder G Fig. 5, adapted to cooperate with a pin D upon the end of the swinging lockingbar L, heretofore described. A coiled spring E connected to the front end of the plate A tends to pull the same forward, and it is held in normal position against the stress of such spring by the money-drawer J when the latter is locked in its closed position. When the money-drawer is released and thrown open, the plate A is free to be pulled by the spring E and will be as soon as the pin D upon the bar L in the upward movement of the latter clears the shoulder C of the arm B and said shoulder will then catch under the pin D and support the bar L in its elevated position until the plate A is forced rearward and the shoulder 0 carried from under the pin D by the closing of the moneydrawer. In this manner and by this means at each operation of the machine the lockingbar L is caught and held in its lifted position, locking the operated key in the forward position to which it has been moved and holding the unoperated keys from operation until the money-drawer is closed.

As before stated, I am aware that machines of this general nature and intended for the same general purpose are old; nevertheless the improvements which constitute my invention do not consist in mere details of construction and arrangement of parts, but consist in the combinations and modes of operation, as well as the construction and arrangement of parts, set forth in my respective claims. For instance, so far as I am aware, I am the first in the art to employ in a machine of this characteraseries of paper strips carried upon supply and storage spools or reels and led from the former to the latter over a suitably-exposed writing-tablet, in combination with operating-keys acting directly upon the storage-reels to advance the strips and cooperating with the latch of the money-drawer to release the latter when operated to advance the strips; also, the first to combine the operating-keys of a machine of this character with a money-drawer and its latch controlled bythe keys and a locking device cooperating with the keys and controlled by the money-drawer to hold the operated key in displaced position while the moneydrawer remains open; also, the first to combine such keys with a swinging locking-bar carrying a series of locking-blocks cooperating with the keys to prevent simultaneous operation of two or more of them, as well as the first to devise the various other combinations, modes of operation, and constructions and arrangements of parts set forth in my claims.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim 1. In a manual recorder, the combination with a series of pivoted operating-keys having locking projections, of a pivoted slotted locking-bar into the slot of which the projections of the operated keys enter to lock the IIO bar to movement with the keys, and means mounted in the slot of said bar for preventing more than one projection entering said slot at the same time.

2. In a manual recorder, the combination with a series of pivoted operating-keys, of a pivoted slotted locking-bar so arranged as to receive and hold the operated key, a latch for holding said bar in operative position, and a cash-drawer arranged to operate said latch to allow the bar to return.

3. In a manual recorder, the combination with a series of operating-keys, of a casl drawer, a pivoted locking-bar arranged to engage, hold and move with an operated key and means for holding said bar out of normal position while the drawer is open.

4. In a manual recorder, the combination with a cash-drawer, of keys arranged to release the drawer, a key locking-bar arranged to engage, hold and move with an operated key and when so moved to form a stop or lock'for all the keys except the operated one and means for preventing the return of the said bar with the operated key to normal position until the drawer is closed.

5. In a device of the class described, the combination with the cash-drawer, of thekeys, the key lock-bar arranged to be moved from normal position by the operation of any key, a pin secured upon said bar, and a spring-pressed bar arranged to engage the said pin to hold the operated key out of normal position while the drawer is open.

6. In a device of the class described, the combination with the cash-drawer, of the keys, the key lock-bar arranged to be moved from normal position by the operation of any key, a pin secured upon said bar, a spring-pressed sliding bar having a notch to engage said pin when the key lock-bar is moved from normal position and adapted to be engaged by the cash-drawer on the return movement of the latter and thus moved to release the key lockbar, substantially as described.

'7. In a manual recorder, a storage-roll consisting of a central supporting portion, a ring mounted upon said central portion and a movable fastening device mounted on the ring for coupling and uncoupling the same from the central portion.

8. In a device of the class described, the combination with the keys, of the record-strips and the record-rolls to receive the strips, said rolls consisting of independently-revoluble central portions,ratchet-wheels secured thereto means for turning any ratchet by the operation of its particular key, rings revoluble upon said central portions and means for coupling the rings to the central portions.

9. In a manual recorder, the combination with a series of operating-keys, of a pivoted locking-bar arranged to engage,hold and move with an operated key and also prevent any subsequent movement of the unoperated keys until the operated key has returned, means mounted on said bar for preventing the simultaneous operation of two or more keys and a pivoted pawl on said bar arranged to compel a full stroke of said bar before it can be returned.

10. The combination of the key-levers S, the slotted locking-bar L cooperating therewith, and the laterally-displaceable locking-blocks R carried in said bar, substantially as and for the purpose described.

11. The combination of the key-levers S, the slotted locking-bar L cooperating therewith, and the rack and pawl cooperating with the bar and means carried by the bar for preventing simultaneous operation of two keys, substantially as and for the purpose described.

12. The combination of the key-levers S, the slotted bar L cooperating therewith, the money-drawer J, the spring for throwing it open, the latch controlled by the key-levers for holding it closed, the slotted locking-bar L cooperating with the key-levers, and the latch-plate A cooperating with the drawer J and bar L to support the latter in elevated position while the drawer is open, substantially as and for the purpose described.

13. The combination of the ratehets Q, the key-levers S carrying the pawls R engaging the ratchets, the holding-pawls V also engaging the ratchets, and the levers intermediate the pawlsR and V for transmitting the disengaging movement of the pawls V to the pawls R, and thereby causing the disengagement of one pawl from the ratchet to effect the disengagement of the other therefrom, substantially as described.

1 The combination of the ratchet Q, the key-lever S carrying the pawl R engaging the ratchet, the holding-pawl V also engaging the ratchet and provided with the disengaging-finger WV, and the lever intermediate the pawls R and V for transmitting the movement of the pawl V to the pawl R and causing the disengagement of the pawl V from the ratchet by means of its finger V to also disengage the pawl It from the ratchet, substantially as described.

15. The storage-reel composed of the central hub portion Z, the annular portion Z surrounding the same and free to turn thereon, and means for connecting and disconnecting them.

16. The storage-reel composed of the central hub portion Z, the annular portion Z surrounding the same and free to turn thereon, and the latch A for coupling and uncoupling them.

17. The combination with a series of keys, of a member common to and moved by any one of said keys, and means carried by the said common member for preventing the simu ltaventing the simu ltaneons operation of two or neous operation of two or more keys. more keys.

18. The combination With a series of keys, of a member common to and moved by any one JOSEPH 5 of said keys, constructed to prevent the op- WVitnesses:

eration of the unoperatedkeys, and means ALVAN MAOAULEY,

carried by the said common member for pre- J. GILMORE FLETCHER. 

